ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 129
The moonlight poured down like water, illuminating everything brightly. Hai Tang returned from the kitchen, holding a warm bowl of sweet soup in her hands. She carefully entered the room, and faintly heard a low voice, as if someone was speaking.
“Miss?”
The voice immediately ceased, and the air became incredibly quiet. Hai Tang felt a bit uneasy. There was only one candle lit in the room, not very bright. As she entered the inner chamber, she saw Li Zhizhi standing by the window, and outside, it seemed like a shadow had just flashed by.
Hai Tang was startled. “Miss, who was that outside?”
Li Zhizhi looked slightly surprised and said, “There’s no one there. You must have been mistaken.”
Hai Tang, still somewhat doubtful, looked again and saw a magnolia tree outside the window. She sighed with relief, realizing she must have been mistaken. “I brought you some sweet soup, please drink it while it’s hot.”
Li Zhizhi smiled and said, “Just leave it there. You can go rest now.”
“Yes.”
Hai Tang set down the bowl and quietly left. Only then did Li Zhizhi lean her head out to look outside. Xiao Yan was already gone. The coolness of the autumn night seeped into her bones. Only the silver moon hung in the sky, casting a faint glow. After a moment, she softly exhaled.
…
The next morning, people from the palace suddenly arrived at the Princess’s residence, bringing many rewards, all for Li Zhizhi. The eunuch, dressed in red robes, bent over, his face full of humble smiles, and softly explained, “These are from the Emperor. That Liu woman was truly detestable. She deceived the Emperor, claiming your painting as her own to take credit for herself. Now that the truth has been revealed, the Emperor was worried you might feel wronged, so he sent these rewards.”
Emperor Jing Ming was very generous. The rewards were abundant. After expressing her gratitude, Li Zhizhi also gave the eunuch some money as a token of appreciation. The palace servants left joyfully, and the Grand Princess said, “Zhizhi, go change your clothes. We will enter the palace to give thanks, and while we’re there, we’ll bring up the matter of A’yang.”
Li Zhizhi agreed. Shortly after, she and the Grand Princess entered the palace to meet the Emperor. This time, Emperor Jing Ming was not in the imperial study reviewing memorials, but in Cui Nong Palace. As they were led there, Li Zhizhi heard a familiar sound of laughter from afar—it was Xiao Rulei.
“Push higher!”
“Wow! A’yang is going to fly!”
Passing through the moon gate, Li Zhizhi immediately saw Xiao Rulei on a swing, looking extremely happy. And the person pushing the swing was not a maid or eunuch, but the current Emperor, Jing Ming himself.
Li Zhizhi instinctively exchanged glances with the Grand Princess, seeing the shock in her eyes. The Grand Princess softly asked, “Is that our Emperor?”
Her expression was one of disbelief. Just then, Consort Rong, who was sitting under the veranda having snacks, saw them and greeted them warmly with a smile, “The Grand Princess and the Princess are here.”
Emperor Jing Ming glanced over, and Xiao Rulei, looking delighted, seemed ready to jump off the swing immediately. The Emperor quickly stopped her, “Stay seated.”
She didn’t dare move until the swing came to a stop. Only then did Xiao Rulei rush over and throw herself into Li Zhizhi’s arms, affectionately acting spoiled.
The Grand Princess finally snapped out of her shock, composed herself, and signaled Li Zhizhi with a look. Together, they approached and expressed their gratitude to Emperor Jing Ming.
The Emperor waved his hand casually and said, “These rewards were rightfully hers.”
Servants brought embroidered stools, and freshly brewed tea was served. The Grand Princess and Li Zhizhi sat down and spoke a few words with Emperor Jing Ming. The Grand Princess then took the opportunity to mention Xiao Rulei, asking if A’yang could return to the Crown Prince’s residence. After all, she wasn’t used to living in the palace.
Xiao Rulei nodded continuously, looking at Emperor Jing Ming with eager, hopeful eyes.
The Emperor asked, “How many years has she been living in the Crown Prince’s residence?”
The Grand Princess paused for a moment, then answered, “Four years.”
“Four years,” Emperor Jing Ming nodded and then asked her, “How many more years can she stay?”
This time, before the Grand Princess could answer, Xiao Rulei hurriedly said, “A’yang can stay for many more years!”
Emperor Jing Ming glanced at her and said, “If the Crown Prince marries the Crown Princess, will you still be able to stay?”
Xiao Rulei stubbornly responded, “Yes!”
The Emperor calmly replied, “Aren’t you afraid the Crown Princess might dislike you and want to throw you out?”
Xiao Rulei clearly hadn’t considered this. She froze for a moment, her mouth slightly open, and her eyes quickly filled with tears. Pouting, she muttered weakly, “Big brother wouldn’t allow that…”
Emperor Jing Ming patiently said, “He may not agree, but if that happens, the two of them will argue. If the arguments persist, resentment will build up. Over time, no matter how deep the bond, it will be worn down. You may get your wish, but have you thought about how others will feel?”
Xiao Rulei had not thought about that at all. Unable to answer, she pouted, her eyes brimming with tears, looking extremely pitiful.
Seeing this, the Emperor probably felt he had been a bit too harsh, so he added, “Of course, the Crown Princess might not dislike you. This is just a possibility.”
While wiping her tears, Xiao Rulei sniffled and sobbed, “A’yang doesn’t want that possibility. A’yang will make the Crown Princess like me…”
The Emperor responded with a soft “Mm” and said, “Then let’s wait for the Crown Prince to find a Crown Princess first.”
Li Zhizhi saw Xiao Rulei’s tear-streaked face and her red eyes, like a little rabbit, looking rather pitiful. She took out a handkerchief to wipe Xiao Rulei’s tears. Xiao Rulei sniffed, stared at her for a long time, and suddenly asked, “Sister, would you dislike A’yang?”
Li Zhizhi couldn’t help but laugh. She gently reassured her, “How could I? I like A’yang the most.”
The Grand Princess beside them raised her eyebrows slightly, about to speak, but Xiao Rulei beat her to it, blurting out, “Then let sister be the Crown Princess!”
Li Zhizhi was stunned. The Emperor glanced over and said to Xiao Rulei, “That also depends on whether others agree.”
The Grand Princess immediately laughed and said, “A’yang is just speaking childishly. The Fifth Prince is the Crown Prince—how can his marriage be so hasty? Besides, it should be up to him to decide.”
Although Xiao Rulei had a childlike mind, she was clever and understood the meaning behind the words. She immediately fell silent, playing with Li Zhizhi’s fingers, looking sullen.
The Emperor, however, remained composed and said, “So my point is, before the Crown Prince marries, A’yang will stay in the palace. You may not be able to live in the Crown Prince’s residence for life, but in the palace, you certainly can.”
Noble Consort Rong, who had been quietly laughing behind her hand, said, “The Emperor is right. I also like the Seventh Princess very much. Besides, didn’t she just have so much fun earlier? It shows the palace isn’t so bad. And if the young lady really marries the Crown Prince, you can always return to the Crown Prince’s residence.”
After saying this, she glanced playfully at Li Zhizhi, raising her fine eyebrows with eyes full of amusement and teasing.
After leaving the palace, the Grand Princess didn’t say a word on the way, frowning all the while. Only after getting into the carriage did she show a puzzled expression and say, “Why do I feel like… this whole thing with A’yang was aimed at us?”
She turned to look at Li Zhizhi and suddenly asked, “Could it be the Emperor is really interested in you?”
Li Zhizhi: ?Discord@dogfoodplease or @dogfoodplease#8837
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